Portable utilities cabinet



May 5, 1970 E. 1.. SINGLETON PORTABLE UTILITIES CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet.1

Filed May 3. 1968 INVENTOR Esther L. Single/0n ATTORNEY 5, 1970 E. L.SINGLETON 3,509,866

PORTABLE UTILITIES CABINET Filed May 5, 1968 Fig. 2

2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Esfher L. Sing/afar) ATTORNEY United StatesPatent 3,509,866 PORTABLE UTILITIES CABINET Esther Lee Singleton, RR. 1,Box 134, St. Anne, II]. 60694 Filed May 3, 1968, Ser. No. 726,284 Int.Cl. F24c /20 U.S. Cl. 126-93 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thisinvention is a portable utilities cabinet, and consists of light weightcasing in which is mounted a battery powered fan, an exterior flashlightpowered from the same battery, and a catalytic heater which may beturned on or off from the outside of the casing so that, when off, thefan may be used to create a cooling draft, and when on, a warming draft,through appropriately located vents on one side thereof. Also, a pocketis provided on one exterior wall, which may be used to carry a smalltransistor radio or other suitable object as desired. The casing may beof any suitable material such as high impact plastic or metal, and whenof metal, the casing may provide a ground for the battery to the fanmotor as well as to the exterior flashlight.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide aportable lightweight utilities cabinet, easily carried by a carryinghandle or shoulder strap, and which provides the carrier with a sourceof heat or cooling, and also a flashlight, and has a pocket for carryinga transistor radio or other small convenience.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a portableutilities cabinet, which is as convenient to carry as a handbag or lunchpail, and which will provide, at will, cooling, or heating, as well as aflashlight and a pocket carried transistor radio.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a portableutilities cabinet having a fuel inlet extending through one wall thereofto a non-spill fuel tank therewithin for providing the heat, with a heatcontrol means accessible from outside the cabinet so that a warm draftof air may be provided as desired, by means of a battery operated fantherewith and when the heat is turned off, may be used for providing acooling draft of air from the same fan.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES With the above and related objects in view, thisinvention consists in the details of construction and combination ofparts, as will be more fully understood from the following description,when read in conjuction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable utilities cabinet of thisinvention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, the valve being in aclosed position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5- is a sectional view also on line 4-4 of FIG. 3, but with thevalve in open position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION There is shown at the portable utilitiescabinet of this invention, the utilities provided by this inventionconsisting of heating, cooling and light, and also radio when the pockethas a transistor radio carried therein. The cabinet 10 includes acompletely enclosed casing 12, of high impact plastic, metal, or othersuitable material. As shown any suitable conventional means may be usedM ce for making it possible to open the casing 12 when neces sary, themeans illustrated consisting of overlapping edges 14 of upper and lowerportions 16 and 18 of the casing detacha'bly secured together by screws20. A handle 22 on the top of upper portion 16 is provided, and ashoulder strap, of conventional construction, may be used if desired,the overall size of the casing 12 being that of a small lunchbox orhandbag. Secured On an inner wall of the upper portion 16 is a smallelectric motor 24 powered by a battery 26 also secured on the same wall.A circuit 28 from battery 24 through the motor 24 is connected toexterior control switch 30 and then back to the battery to complete thecircuit. When the casing 12 is of metal, the return circuit may begrounded therethrough, as shown. A fan 32 mounted on the shaft of themotor 26 is thus controlled by the switch 30. A second circuit 34 fromthe same battery 26 is connected through a second exterior controlswitch 36 to a flashlight at 38 and back to the battery, through groundas shown, or through a return wire if necessary.

An outlet vent grill 40 provided in the opposite wall of the casing 12permits a draft of air to be directly externally of the casing 12, asuitable inlet air vent 42 being provided below the fan 32. When no heatis desired, the fan 32 provides a cooling draft through the outlet vent40, when switch 30 is moved to on position. When switch 36 is moved toon position, the flashlight 38 lights up.

The heating utility is provided as follows: An elongate cylindrical fueltank, 44, filled with an absorbent material 46, making the tank havenon-spill properties, is mounted on two legs 48 secured by screws 50through the lower portion bottom wall. A cap 52 threaded 0n the endprovides access to the interior of the tank, and a capped fill pipe 53extends through a side wall of the casing to permit easy refuelling whenneeded, without disassembling the casing 12.

Secured adjacent each end of the tank 44 is an elongate cylindricalhousing 54 having an elongated bottom opening 56 coinciding with asimilar elongate opening in the top of the fuel tank 44, so that fuelvapor may rise therethrough. An elongate cylindrical valve 58 isprovided with an elongate valve passage 60 therethrough, the valvepassage 60 permitting fuel vapor to pass up therethrough when thepassage 60 coincides with the fuel and housing opening 56. Anotherelongate opening 62 on top of valve housing permits the fuel vapor torise therethrough, when the valve 58 is in open position as shown inFIGURE 5, and reach an elongate catalytic wick 64 supported in aperforated chamber 66 mounted on the top of the valve housing 54,chamber 66 having an elongate opening coinciding with housing to opening62. The catalytic wick is V of the type commonly referred to ascatalytic combustor type heating devices, such as shown in U.S. Pats3,199,505 and 3,099,258 to provide heat without flames, and the catalystmay contain platinum or platinum chloride maintained at a suitabletemperature by a flame wick 68 lo cated in a flue 70, the flue 70continuing to the perforated catalytic chamber 66 under a hood 72extending over the catalytic chamber 66.

A plurality of radiator vanes 74 extend from the hood 72 in the path ofthe air from the fan 32, so that when heat is produced by the catalyticwick 64, a warm draft will come out of the outlet grill 40. The flamewick 68 may be ignited by a flint 76, of the type usually found oncigarette lighters, and is sparked by a striker wheel 78 located in theflue 70 on the end of one shaft 80 of a pair of shafts 80 and 82 onwhich the rotatable valve 58 is journaled in its housing 54, the end ofthe other shaft 82 extending exteriorly of the casing 12 where it isprovided with a knurled knob 84 for opening and closing the valve 54 aswill as for igniting the flame wick 68. A hinged door 86 in the casing12 adjacent the flame wick 68 may be provided for extinguishing theflame on the flame Wick 68 when desired. A pocket 88 is attached to anexterior wall of casing 12 suitable for insertion of a transistor radioor other suitable convenience.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION In operation, the fuel valve 58 is normallyin closed position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 when the cabinet is notbeing used for either cooling or heating. 'If cooling is desired, thefan switch 30 is actuated, to cause the fan 32 to create a cooling draftout through the air outlet vent 40. If warming draft is desired, thenthe knurled knob 82 is also rotated to cause the striker wheel to beoperated against flint 76 and create a spark to ignite flame wick 68,and the hood 82 is stopped in the open position. The flame wick 68 willthen heat the catalytic wick 64 to an active catalytic temperature tocause the fuel vapor to unite with oxygen of the air and heat the airbeing blown by the fan 32 over the vanes 74 and out the air outlet vent.To discontinue the heat, the knurled knob is turned to closed position,cutting off the fuel vapor from the catalytic wick 64, and the door 86is opened to enable the flame on flame wick 68 to be extinguished. Thetransistor radio in pocket 88, if present, may be used when desired,either in position in the pocket 88, or removed therefrom and carried inthe hand or a clothing pocket.

ABSTRACT OF THE DRAWING In the drawings, like members refer to likeparts, and for purposes of explication, marshalled below are the numbered parts of the improved portable utilities cabinet:

portable utilities cabinet 12 casing 14 overlapping edges 16 upperportion of 12 18 lower portion of 12 20 screws through 14 22 carryinghandle 24 electric motor 26 battery 28 fan circuit 30 exterior controlswitch for fan motor 32 fan 34 flashlight circuit 36 exterior flashlightswitch 38 flashlight 40 air outlet vent 42 air inlet vent 44 fuel tank46 non-spill absorbent material in tank 44 48 legs of tank 46 50 screwsto legs 48 52 tank cap 53 capped fill pipe 54 cylindrical valve housing56 elongate opening in top of tank 44 and bottom of valve housing 54 58rotatable valve 60 passage through 58 62 elongate valve opening in topof housing 54 64 catalytic wick 66 perforated chamber about catalyticwick 68 flame wick 72 hood 74 radiator vanes 78 striker Wheel 80 valveshaft with wheel 78 82 valve shaft with knurled handle knob 84 84knurled handle knob on shaft 82 86 hinged door in casing adjacent flamewick 68 88 pocket for holding transistor radio, etc.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, suchdescription is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting,since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of theinvention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, Whatis claimed is:

1. A portable utilities cabinet 10 comprising an enclosed casing 12, afan 32 mounted for operation on one side wall of said casing 12, an airvent 40 extending through the opposite side wall, and means for poweringsaid fan for operation, a non-spill fuel tank 46 secured along thebottom of said casing 12, said tank 44 having a fuel vapor releasingopening 56 along its top side, a catalytic wic-k 64 mounted over saidvapor opening 56, and a flame wick 68 from said fuel tank 44 to a flue'70 leading to said catalytic wick 64 for activating said catalyticwick, and a hood 72 extending about said catalytic wick 64, and aplurality of radiator vanes 74 extending from said hood 72.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, said fan powering means comprising anelectric motor 24.

3. The cabinet of claim 2, and a battery electricity supply 26 incircuit 28 to said motor 24.

4. The cabinet of claim 1, and a perforated extension '66 of said flueenclosing said catalytic wick 64 Within said hood 72.

5. The cabinet of claim 1, said cabinet having air inlet means 42.

6. A portable utilities cabinet 10 comprising an enclosed casing 12, afan 32 mounted for operation on one side wall of said casing 12, an airvent 40 extending through the opposite side wall, and means for poweringsaid fan for operation, a non-spill fuel tank 46 secured along thebottom of said casing 12, said tank 44 having a fuel vapor releasingopening 56 along its top side, a catalytic wick 64 mounted over saidvapor opening 56, and a flame wick 68 from said fuel tank 44 to a flue70 leading to said catalytic Wick 64 for activating said catalytic wick,and a rotatable valve 58 for controlla'bly opening and closing saidvapor releasing opening 56, a shaft 80, 82 on each end of said rotatablevalve 58 on which it is rotatably supported, one end of one 82 of saidshafts extending exteriorly of a Wall of said casing 12 and handle means84 on said exterior shaft end 82 for rotating said valve 58, a strikerwheel 78 on the end of said other shaft 80, said striker wheel 78 beinglocated in said flue 70, and a flint 76 in contact with said strikerwheel 78 for igniting said flame Wick 68 when said han dle means 84 isrotated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,914,060 11/1959 Wilcox 1262082,989,049 6/1961 Crouzet 126-208 3,099,258 7/1963 Kurz 431329 X3,175,550 3/1965 Knapp 12667 X CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner US.Cl. X.R.

